All too frequently I see comments and advertising making people feel guilty for not banking with New Zealand owned banks.
Instead of attacking overseas owned banks, New Zealand banks should be looking at what they […..]
Positives of the lockdown
At times like this it is difficult to remain positive. People are losing jobs or at risk of losing jobs. We can’t visit friends and family. We can’t travel. Financial markets are in free fall. We can’t gather in groups or socialize. We are stuck in our homes. The threat of the virus is scary.
So today I’d like to discuss some of the […..]
Financial document for your loved one
’m sure there are some relationships where the responsibility for the finances is shared 50/50, but the reality for most is that there is a significant imbalance.
One partner will often take the responsibility of looking after the finances, while the other partner takes a bit of a back seat in the department.
If someone isn’t interest in finances then no harm no foul, right?
How to get cheaper electricity
Beware of statistics
My hard working employees
Think big
The benefit of breaking big goals into smaller chunks
It’s all very well and good to have long term financial goals, but having such large and distant goals can make things seem unlikely.
There is a saying that goes along the lines of “we overestimate what we can achieve in a day, and underestimate what we can achieve in 10 years”. I think this is extremely true. Every time I look back 5 years I am surprised at how far I have come […..]
My biggest financial mistakes
As a blogger, I am always trying to create content that is beneficial to the ready. The problem with this is that it makes me appear like I know exactly what I’m doing. This isn’t always the case though.
So, in order to be relatable, here is a list of my biggest financial mistakes thus far. I know there will be more in the future too […..]
The importance of savings rate
In one of my early posts, I discussed what financial independence meant to me. Within that article, I briefly raised the concept of savings rate and how it is an important metric to measure on your path to financial freedom.
But just how important a metric is it?
The big three (expenses)
Saving money is so often viewed as a sacrifice.
In New Zealand, we have a paltry household savings rate of minus 1% per year. This basically means we are spending everything that we earn.
Naturally, most people would then view saving money as a sacrifice, since it means living a lifestyle that costs less than […..]
If you had a garage sale today what would you see?
I used to have so much junk that I barely used. In the past I have splashed out untold amounts of money on things such as fancy golf bags, top of the range bikes, and impressive cell phones.
Why did I buy a pro golf bag when I am lucky if I play once a year? Did I think all of a sudden I would play more often or become as good as the pros?
The normalisation of credit card debt
Credit card debt has become so normal that we no longer call it debt. It is called a credit balance. Sounds much nicer doesn’t it? This was no doubt rephrased by the credit card industry to normalise debt. In a similar way Kentucky Fried Chicken rebranded to KFC because they didn’t want people thinking of the word ‘fried’, the credit card industry doesn’t want […..]
Is university worth it?
You are just an employee file number waiting to be closed
Just a quick thought experiment for you today.
I find it rather sad that after all is said and done, after 40 years of working at our job we are just an employee file number to our employer. Our employer moves on. They usually replace us, and we are all but a distant memory. Yet for us, our time in employment […..]
